Moms, Daughters Learn Self-defense

Not a peep could be heard from 5-year-old Ana Haux as the seemingly coy girl cuddled up to her mother on a floor mat at Yongin Martial Arts in Naperville on Saturday.

Then, it was her turn.

The pony-tailed blond stepped into the center of a circle formed by some 30 mothers and daughters when a young man, with thick blue padding covering his arms, knees, shins and chest, locked his arms around her shoulders in a mock attempt to grab her and take her away.

To a round of applause, she ran back into her mother's arms with a smile on her face.

Ana was trying her hand at one of several techniques taught by Anne Sullivan, owner of Yongin Martial Arts, 1807 S. Washington St., Suite 108, in the Hawthorne Square shopping center, at a self-defense seminar geared for mothers and daughters ages 5 and older.

Sullivan highlighted the "twist and slide" move as a self-defense technique well-suited for youngsters.

"Use your size to your advantage and twist out," Sullivan said, while demonstrating the move with the help of 14-year-old George Tune, a student and assistant instructor at the martial arts academy, who was playing the role of the attacker with the padded gear for protection. "If you are grabbed, drop down and twist out."

But the seminar did not feature hands-on lessons in self-defense moves alone. With each kick, knee jab, elbow thrust or punch came a loud "No!" from participants.

"If you stand up for yourself, yell and get away, you can make a difference," Sullivan told the group.

Sullivan hoped to empower both the girls and their mothers to handle a variety of situations, from verbal harassment to physical assaults.

"I'm hoping they learned that they can say no and that they have the right to protect themselves," Sullivan said. "It's to build that confidence and let them feel and see that inner power and inner strength and to tap into that if they're in (a difficult) situation."

Sullivan is familiar with inner strength. A mother of two, she took up tae kwon do eight years ago when she was going through a divorce. "It just seemed like a great time to try something new," Sullivan said.

It was also a time when few women participated in the sport, she said. "I was one of the only women," Sullivan said. "It was very intimidating."

In 1995, she opened her own martial arts school. The academy, along with its branch program at Edward Health and Fitness Center, maintains a 40 percent female enrollment, Sullivan said.

Sullivan, a black belt and a certified child assault prevention instructor, rape crisis counselor and a sexual harassment, assault and rape prevention instructor, said the self-defense program was requested by several mothers.

Lisa Haux of Western Springs jumped at the chance to sign up for the class with her daughter, Ana.

"She's very small. I've always wanted some kind of protection advice," Haux said. "She's a girl and small, and I just worry about what could happen."

Across the circle from Ana, 5-year-old Rachel Andrews practiced her "defensive stance" with her mother, Arlene Andrews, who played out the role of a "creepy person" about to approach the girl in a parking lot.

"Look like you mean business," Sullivan yelled to the mothers and daughters engaging in the role playing. "If you can look strong and confident, that's the person they're going to stay away from."

With a puckered mouth and a furrowed brow, the petite Rachel lunged, clenched her fists and stared at her mother for about one minute before breaking into a giggle.

Along with lessons on self-defense kicks and punches and pressure points on the body to target, the mothers and daughters also got tips on how to offer a detailed description of an attacker, and participated in exercises aimed at bolstering the girls' self-esteem. They were also asked to come up with a family code word that only they would know in an emergency situation if someone other than a parent approaches them and tells them a parent gave permission for them to come along.

For Arlene Andrews and her daughters, Rachel and Christine, it was the first visit to the martial arts school. The Naperville mother said she had been trying to encourage Christine, 8, to take a self-defense class, but it was not until she joined her on Saturday that the girl was willing to go through with it.

"I want them to feel empowered and that they don't have to be victims," Arlene Andrews said.

Among the older daughters taking part in the program was Clare Sieruski, 17. Her mother, Nancy Snell of Naperville, said she was glad that her daughter could take a self-defense class before heading off to college.

"I think this is going to help me feel even safer wherever I go," Sieruski said.